1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general art of rehabilitation and muscle training, and to the particular fields of training and rehabilitation which use swimming.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Swimming is one of the most relaxing and beneficial exercises that one can undertake. No undue pressure is placed on the swimmer's limbs or joints as is the case with some other exercises. The water supports the swimmer and thus undue pressure is not applied to the limbs or joints.
For this reason, swimming is often used to condition a person. For this reason, swimming is also sometimes used as part of a rehabilitation program.
As in any exercise, the person becomes better and more proficient as their muscles and cardiovascular system adapt to higher and higher stress levels.
As is the case with any sport or exercise, there is a great deal of equipment that is intended for use by swimmers to improve their skills, their muscle strength or their cardiovascular system. This equipment includes kickboards, hand paddles, drag equipment, weights and the like.
However, in spite of the existence of such equipment, the inventor is not aware of any such equipment that can be easily modified and changed for increasing levels of exercise. That is, as the swimmer becomes stronger, the equipment should place greater stress on his or her muscles in order to continue the improvement. Still further, even if the swimmer has achieved a certain level of muscle strength, that swimmer may not want to practice at the top level of strength for an entire workout or may want to vary the level of resistance for different workouts. The inventor is not aware of any equipment that can achieve these goals.
Therefore, there is a need for a swim training device that can be easily modified to accommodate increased swimmer strength and/or improved swimming technique and which is easily modified to meet the requirements of a specific workout.
If the swim equipment is being used as part of a rehabilitation process, the swimmer may not be able to easily don the equipment. There may be limited mobility or limited dexterity which makes putting the equipment on or taking the equipment off difficult.
Therefore, there is a need for a swim training device that is easy to put on and take off.
Since a swimmer uses both his or her legs and his or her arms, improvement is best facilitated by strengthening both arms and both legs. While there may be equipment that is used to strengthen a swimmer's arms (e.g., hand paddles) and there may be equipment used to strengthen a swimmer's legs (e.g. swim fins), the inventor is not aware of any single piece of equipment that can be used for either or both arm and/or leg strengthening.
Therefore, there is a need for a swim training device that can be used for either strengthening the swimmer's arms or legs.